www.cambridgTuesday, April 3, 201216 CENTRESPREAD

LOOKINGBACKBy MIKE PETTY

Gales take topoff church spire>> FROM THE NEWS, 1987Killer gales left a trail ofhavoc throughout Britain.At Waresley a freak gust ofwind blew the top off thechurch tower. Aneyewitness said: “The topof the spire was lifted offand then there was a bigcloud of dust and piecesfloating about.” Thetimber-framed structurelanded between a tree andthe church lych-gate,scattering debris acrossthe road and into thegarden of the village pub.Miraculously, no-one washurt.

Expertise oflibrary staff>> FROM THE NEWS, 1962Cambridge Central Libraryhas spent 100 years inWheeler Street. Drasticand effective reforms tookplace between 1954 and1959 to make moreefficient use of staff,facilitate access to theshelves for ticket-holdersand give the children theirown library. Space wascleared in the referencelibrary (formerly thereading room) to seat 47people. Reference librarystaff are generally able tolay their hands on adiversity of volumesrelating to every aspect ofany subject almost beforethe reader has formulatedhis real requirements.

Army met inwash-house>> FROM THE NEWS 1937When the Salvation Armyfirst came to CambridgeEllis Merry gave them whatwas then his wash-housein which to hold theirmeetings. He was one ofthe early sergeant-majorsand associated himselfwith their work in thevillages, using a concertinaand violin to good effect.He was the first to run apenny bus, from Mill Roadinto town and also did thehorse mail work. Until hisretirement Mr Merrycarried on the business ofundertaker.

City boundaryis expanded>> FROM THE NEWS, 1912Today the population ofthe Borough of Cambridgeis 40,560. On Monday itwill be 57,073. Theextension of the boundarybrings in Chesterton andthe urban portions ofTrumpington, CherryHinton and Grantchester.These suburbs wereinhabited almost entirelyby people whose living layin Cambridge but wereseparated from it by theRiver Cam or purelyartificial borders.

20 cracking ideas for

Easter egg hunts

Pick up a £1 form at Oxfam inMill Road, Cambridge, to takepart in a different kind of Easter

Egg Hunt. Instead of tracking downchocolate, you’ll be trying to spot out-of-place objects stashed in shop windows(the form will tell you which shops).Hand your completed form in atRomsey Post Office to be entered intoan exciting prize draw. Proceeds will goto Oxfam.Mill Road, April 1-4

At Audley End, your little onescan put their detective skills tothe test, hunt down missing eggs

around the grounds and be rewardedwith a yummy Easter prize.Audley End House and Gardens,April 1-15

Pick up stamps along an Eastertrail route and celebrate spring’snewest additions by creating

lambs and bunnies out of naturalmaterials at Cambridge Botanic Garden.April 3, 5, 7, 11am-3pm

Puzzle your way aroundAnglesey Abbey’s gardens in acryptic Easter egg hunt, before

taking part in face painting, games andcraft activities.Anglesey Abbey, April 6-9,11am-4pm

Wicken Fen’s Easter egg trail,sponsored by Cadbury’s, is set tobe a very chocolatey affair.

Wicken Fen, April 6-9

The kids can indulge inchocolate prizes, arts and crafts,donkey rides and whirls on the

fair, plus a miniature steam railway atBurwash Manor, while the grown-upshang out at the barbecue. Proceedsgoing to the Sick Children’s Trust atAddenbrooke’s.Burwash Manor, April 7, 10am-4pm

The Friends of Milton CountryPark are hosting an EasterTreasure Hunt, but if you’ve

eaten too much chocolate, there’s thelake to tramp round and play equipmentfor burning off all those extra eggs!Milton Country Park, April 8

Art and crafts

Budding rocket scientists canbuild their own precision-perfectrocket to race at Duxford’s

Imperial War Museum and become anaeronautical engineer for the day,making, flying and testing paperaeroplanes (can yours make the top spoton the score board?). You can also get inon some Airfix aircraft action in theHands On Hangar.

American Air Museum, Imperial WarMuseum Duxford, March 31-April 15,noon-4pm

Make your own Easter gifts forfriends and family at a craft andcard session at Wicken Fen.

April 5, 10.30am-12.30pm/ 2-4pm,£4.50 per person

The Great Lode Egg Raft Race:build your own egg box raft,complete with boiled egg sailor,

and race it down the Lode. No worries ifyou don’t win, there’ll be face painting,games and competitions to get involvedwith too.Anglesey Abbey, April 8 & 9

Make your own Easter bonnet(or bandana) to show off at theFarmland Museum and Denny

Abbey’s Easter parade. You can also turnyour hand to willow weaving, grab apaintbrush and help complete a giantEaster motif on the grass, or follow an‘eggciting’ Easter trail.Farmland Museum and Denny Abbey,Waterbeach, April 8-9,10.30am-5pm

Get outdoors

Why not pack a picnic and takea bike ride out to GrantchesterMeadows? Stroll along the banks

and soak up some sun while the kids

play Pooh sticks and put their wellies tothe test. You can even sneak in a creamtea at the Orchard Tea Garden.

Creepy crawlies, pond dippinggalore and a whole lot of bughunting – expect some muddy

children when they’re back from thisaction packed workshop.Wicken Fen, April 3, 10, £1.75 plusoptional 50p for bug hunting

Get a look behind the sceneswith Wood Green AnimalShelter’s series of Easter

workshops. Find out more about lookingafter small and cuddly creatures, learn tomake fun toys for your pets, feed theanimals tasty treats and meet some that

With schools out for theEaster holidays, ELLAWALKER has come upwith the best local andchocolate-fuelled eventsto keep the whole familyentertained.

Tuesday, April 3, 2012 49CENTRESPREADge-news.co.uk

Toilets damagedduring break-in

Mobile home onA1 catches fireA TRAILER went up in flameson the A1 near Huntingdon.The mobile home washeading south betweenAlconbury and Sawtry at9.15pm on Friday when thedriver spotted the flames.Two firefighter crews fromHuntingdon put out the fire.Its cause is not known.

Burglars cause£1,000 damageMORE than £1,000 damagewas caused when burglarsbroke in to a house in LondonRoad, Newport.Criminals smashed two glasspanes on French patio doorsand carried out a tidy search.It happened between11.45am and 1.30pm onFriday. Nothing was stolen.Call police on 101.

Brick shed maybe demolished

A TOILET block at a formerwildlife park has been brokenin to.About £50 damage wascaused to the facilities atMole Hall Wildlife Park,Widdington, after the padlockwas jammed open overnightbetween Friday and Saturday.Nothing was stolen.Anybody with informationshould contact police on 101.

Panels stolenfrom parked vanA DRIVER discovered thieveshad stolen both the sides ofhis van while it was parked inSpindle Road, Haverhill,overnight.

Police in Haverhill areappealing for information afterthe flatbed Ford Transit wasrobbed of its silver aluminiumpanels between 9.30pm onWednesday, March 29 and6.40pm the next morning.

Ring PCSO Leslie Scott,quoting crime numberHH/12/685, on 101.

A BRICK shed at the rear of aproperty in Ely could bedemolished.

Mr S Williams has applied toEast Cambridgeshire DistrictCouncil for permission todemolish the shed at 90 StMary’s Street.

To have your say, visitwww.eastcambs.gov.uk.

>> in Brief

TODAY ONLINE

Education

family fun this Easter

are looking for new homes.Wood Green Animal Shelter,Godmanchester, April 3-11, book on0844 248 8181 or visitwww.woodgreen.org.uk

It’s lambing season at WimpoleHall! See little woolly lambsfrolicking about – or even see

one being born – and learn about theHall’s rare breed sheep.Wimpole Hall, until April 5,10.30am-5pm

Wicken Warriors: Deck the kidsout in their finest adventuringgear for an activity filled trip

exploring the wild outdoors.Wicken Fen, April 12, 10.30am-

12.30pm or 2-4pm, £4.50 per person

An Easter Fun Day atWandlebury Country Park willhave your little ones scurrying

about a photo-trail egg hunt and tryingall sorts of crafts.Wandlebury Country Park, Babraham,April 7, 11am-4pm, £8 per child, bookon 07833598155 or emailranger@cambridgeppf.org

Interactive workshops

For a not-so-fluffy Easter activity,SIN Cru hip hop club is takingover The Junction for a week of

Bboyin’ djing, graffiti art and mc’ing. The

SINstitute of HipHop Arts (SoHHA)festival will be hosting master classes foradvanced dancers as well as beginners’sessions for all ages (including under 5s).The Junction, April 5-13,http://sohhasofresh.blogspot.co.uk/.

At the Cambridge Wordfest forChildren, part of the city’s 10thannual literary festival, there’ll

be an interactive retelling of The VeryHungry Caterpillar, a journey into afairytale kingdom, the chance tomake a Lego mosaic and rhymetimesessions for babies and toddlers. Plus,meet authors Michael Rosen (formerChildren’s Laureate), Andy Stanton (MrGum) and even Paddington Bearhimself!

Cambridge, venues across the city, April13-15, visit the websitewww.cambridgewordfest.co.uk.

While dads swot up on stories ofracing legends at the NationalHorse Racing Museum, the kids

can embark on a junior museum trail,learn to tack up a horse, dress up inriding silks and take to the saddle on themuseum’s horse simulator.

National Horse Racing Museum,Newmarket. Call (01638) 560622 or visitwww.nhrm.co.uk to find out more.

� For all Wicken Fen activities, call(01353) 720274 to book.

FLOAT YOUR BOAT: Clockwise fromtop left, The Great Lode Egg RaftRace, painting a giant Easter egg atDenny Abbey, lambing at WimpoleHall, Audley End House and WickenFen